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Sumbawa 30 Sep - 5 Oct

The natural beauty of Indonesia and the friendliness of its people continue to be the highlights of our journey.

Guests on board in Kilo

Calm Seas and Turbulent Skies Make for Stunning Views

Clear water and friendly visitors

Our itinerary along the northern coast of Sumbawa was:

Sumbawa Island

30 Sep Were Bay
1 Oct Kilo
2 Oct Kananga
3 Oct Moyo Island

We try to have a short, medium and long term plan in mind for our cruise. Each night we review our plan and decide whether and where to go the next day. On departing Komodo we were confronted with the first reference in the cruising guide to any potential politico/religious troubles.

'Sumbawa is chiefly composed of volcanic, irregularly formed and moderately wooded mountains........Although overtly Islamic.......traditional laws and regulations are still alive and thriving among villagers.'

'Bima is the largest city in Sumbawa....In the past the cities of Bima and Dompo have had a reputation for harbouring Islamic Fundamentalists....however you will be greeted by warm friendly smiles and there have been no reports of any recent problems.'

We planned our trip along the northern coast of Sumbawa so that we could anchor early afternoon each day and by-passed the city of Bima. We could not see from our maps where Dompo was but found the nearby village of Kilo to be one of the friendliest that we visited.

It felt like half of the village was visiting one afternoon in Kilo

A local english speaking teenager played the guitar so we brought out my guitar which he played very well. The crowd joined in for a singalong of traditional Indonesian songs. I was obliged to reciprocate with a Bod Dylan classic.

On departing Kilo for the pretty fishing village of Kananga we were treated to stunning volcanic formations along the coast.

On arrival at Kananga the black soiled beaches were covered with a whole community processing the days fishing catch which was then salted or cooked in bulk for sale at distant markets.

Always ready for a smile and a photo

The pictures on these girls shirts say a great deal

A whole community processing the days catch of fish

An end to another day with a beautiful sunset

As we reviewed our travel plans in the evening in Kananga we changed our destination for the next day to an island called Moyo Island which included a dive resort called Amandwana Dive Resort. A slightly rolly but safe anchorage existed a mile from the resort so we chose to explore this location.

On arrival the wind was 25 knots over the exposed anchorage but as we approached the shore the wind reduced and the clear water and beautiful reef and shoreline encouraged us to stay: which we did including for an extra day. We were welcomed at the resort which is run by a New Zealand couple and had lunch at the dining facility as we appreciated the beautiful views and the antics of the monkeys trying to steal food from the tables.

On the Ridge Walk

Resort lounges fringed the jetty area at Amandwana Resort where crystal clear water and well fed and protected fish made for exquisite snorkeling

In the dinghy on the way back to our boat

A large Phinisi Schooner could be seen at anchor from the ridge walk above Amandwana Resort

Another view from the ridge walk with our boat visible in the corner of the bay

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